Newtown: An American Tragedy

by Matthew Lysiak

12/14/12

Sandy Hook Elementary School

Newton, Connecticut

we remember the numbers: 20 children and 6 adults, murdered in a place of nurture and trust. We remember the names: teachers like Victoria Soto, who lost her life protecting her students. A shooter named Adam Lanza. And we remember the questions: outraged conjecture instantly monopolized the worldwide response to the tragedy—while the truth went missing.

here is the definitive journalistic account of Newtown, an essential examination of the facts— not only of that horrific day but the perfect storm of mental instability and obsession that preceded it and, in the aftermath of unspeakable heartbreak, the controversy that continues to play out on the national stage. Drawn from previously undisclosed emails, police reports, and in-depth interviews, Newtown: An American Tragedy breaks through a miasma of misinformation with its comprehensive and astonishing portrayal.

this is the vital story that must be told—today—if we are to prevent another American tragedy in the days to come.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Audiobook, Politics, Education

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2013

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yesterday I was watching some trashy British reality tv show called Police Interceptors, I think. They were following an armed response team in Durham, a northern town. A call came in – a man has been seen taking what looked like a shotgun into a house. So two carloads of cops barrel off to this working-class area and surround a house, point their guns at the front door, yell for everyone to come out. Eventually two bewildered youths stumble out and get told to kneel down. After a minute, two out-of-it young women follow them into the street. Cops move into the house and search it. No weapons found. After some fairly friendly no-harm-done-lads type chat with the guys, they all conclude that it was a malicious call, somebody just wanting to aggravate the cops or aggravate the said youths. End of incident.

So, just a whisper that some guy MIGHT have a firearm in a house gets the cops turning up in strength in Britain. You can see that things are different here than in the USA.

*
Adam Lanza, Sandy Hook. What a horrible story. There was a middle class family with two sons. The father had a top job. Then the parents divorced. Nancy, the mother, became a single parent, but she was given a very sizeable alimony/childcare income so she didn’t need to work. Which was a good thing because the younger son had a lot of mental health issues and needed constant attention. Trying to get him to attend school was hard. The diagnosis was Asperger’s Syndrome but she thought there were other problems too. She was always claiming nobody would listen to her. Adam had violent tantrums. He was extremely withdrawn. This went on throughout his whole childhood. He finished high school, just, and then stayed home playing violent games on his computer. She seems to have come to the conclusion that she couldn’t do anything more for him, so increasingly she left him on his own in the house. By now he was 18, then 19, then 20 – nothing was changing.

It was one of those horrible situations like when a woman whose ex-partner threatens to kill her tells the police and they say well, we can’t really do anything until he’s actually violent. And he hasn’t been violent yet. But you know it’s just a matter of time.

*
Kid sits in his room playing Call of Duty for 14 straight hours and never leaves the house for weeks on end. Well, that can’t be good. But I read a book called Beyond the Darkness by a guy called Phil Russell, one of those blogs turned into self published books, and in it he describes his love of misogynistic torture porn, and basically says yeah, I like to see movies where pretty women get killed in gruesome ways. So what? Maybe I should call the cops and report Phil Russell but so far I haven’t done that.

*
But then there’s the uniquely American aspect to the story, which a British person can only boggle at. Nancy Lanza came from country folk and grew up hunting and target-shooting, she loved all that, and she was keen to get her sons down the target range as soon as possible. It’s as American as apple pie. Millions do it. She bought her son, the mentally unstable Adam, several guns and she let him keep them in his room, even though this was strictly illegal under Connecticut law (you had to be 21 to be able to own guns). But Nancy didn’t think there was anything to worry about. Maybe she just never watched the news. Maybe she was a person who became indignant if anyone connected mental illness with violence. The author says

Nancy Lanza could have prevented the tragedy if she simply followed the laws on the books

*

When the cops went through Adam Lanza’s stuff they found the attack on the school was not a sudden-psychotic-day-of-rage thing but had been years in the planning. We are hearing that the recent Las Vegas shooting was also carefully planned. So, we may be wanting to point the finger at the people the shooter has been living with (in this case Adam’s mother) and say man, they must have been blind to all the warning signs.

But modern life is like that. Computers and smartphones enable people to have completely secret lives. Four years ago in London three teenage girls packed up a bag each and got their passports and booked their flights to Turkey and took a bus to the Syrian border and joined Isis. Their parents were heartbroken, they had no idea.

*

The several explanations for Adam Lanza’s massacre suggested by several interviewees are contradictory and useless. It was his inability to express his frustrations because of his autism. No, to link autism and violence is utter rubbish. Actually, there is a link and the autism support lobby are ignoring the elephant in the room. This is purely a gun control issue. No, this is a mental health issue. Look at how they shut down all the mental hospitals. Adam Lanza was a psychotic, and that’s not a mental illness. No, he wasn’t. Yes, he was. So it goes on like this. One expert says well, he did it for the glory of it, he wanted to kill as many people as possible. Well, that doesn’t seem right – Adam Lanza had plenty of time to kill a whole lot more children if he felt like it. The cops weren’t bursting through the door when he shot himself. And if these events are some kind of controlled anger, why not stick around and surrender, like Anders Breivik, so you can explain your grievances at great length in court?

None of these explanations seem any good to me.

*

This is a pretty solid account of the Sandy Hook massacre. Unfortunately Matthew Lysiak thought it was a good empathetic idea to include a chapter called “Twenty-Six Funerals” which is mawkish, intrusive and absolutely wrong.

So now we wait for the next decent thorough account of the latest horrific shooting.

[Bobbi]

I could not bring myself to rate this book because choosing a "star" value for it is simply not right. I knew it would be an extremely difficult read not only because it details that awful day when twenty innocent children and six educators were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, but also because one of those educators was a bright, beautiful, fun-loving first grade teacher named Victoria Leigh Soto - my great niece. Every time the author mentioned Vicki, her parents or her siblings, their faces flashed into my mind, and I remembered the looks of agony on each one of them as we stood in the funeral parlor at Vicki's wake, while thousands of people filed past her casket over the course of nine dreadfully long hours. We will probably never know why the shooter chose that course of action, and I will never understand why his mother had an arsenal of weapons in the house with the son she knew was very disturbed. I was disappointed that the author spent so much time detailing the shooter's life and the myriad problems he experienced; I believe Lysiak was trying to illustrate what a messed up human being the murderer was, but I would have much preferred a condensed version of the shooter's biography, and more information on the short but brilliant lives of the twenty children, as well as more details on the six educators who also died that day. The book brought back heartbreaking memories for me, but I forced myself to read it, hoping it would give me some understanding of "why," but it only served to anger me because of the senseless, cold-blooded cruelty of one evil person. I think of the families - including my family - who are still struggling with the results of that day, and who will continue to do so for the rest of their lives. My niece, Donna - Vicki's mom - regularly visits the cemetery where Vicki's grave is covered in flowers and the flamingos she loved. Who can imagine the unrelenting pain Donna experiences every day? No one. Vicki's siblings have grown up too quickly, becoming outspoken, passionate advocates for gun control in the hopes that no other family has to experience the horror they've been through. Will gun control prevent future tragedies? Mental health care reforms? Parenting classes? All of the above? Or perhaps something else, something none of us has thought of . . .

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much to learn from history, and from the pain that others have had to endured. I pray we have learn much from this tragedy, so that we can prevent future ones from occurring.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started off very well but got pretty messy towards the end. Absolutely horrifying story to read about, but important as well.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As in Europe where people keep being slaughtered by islamic refugees but still letting many more males in plus hardly having any borders or protection anymore ,and not learning of the mistakes even though the governments have been warned by so many it seems it is the same with the young men slaughtering the young in the US. People all talk about it for 2 days, change their avatars for a week perhaps and then go back and nothing changes.

To be honest this is one case I have never read up about. I think mostly because I preferred to avoid that such young children were killed but also every time i wanted to find more info most info i find is that this was all fake. (which pisses me off)

Google Sandy Hook and images and I can guarantee that if you click on them most are from conspiracy sites. I did wonder why do so many think it is fake. Why the Fuck would you fake this and how terrible for the parents seeing, hearing and reading this.

Finally I decided to buy this book and I am not sorry. Yes I admit to not knowing if I was able to read this just before going to sleep so i read some parts in the afternoon.
I was glad he did not describe the killings of the kids in too many details. I did not want to read that. Right now I am 85% in this book. I ope he is also going to address the fake issue.
So far so good.

Updated one day later on December 24 of the year 2016

Finished last night.Okay He did not touch the subject why so many are saying this has never happened and I can understand that. If you go there you hurt the parents and loved ones of the victims again but then again they were hurt because they must have seen what is written by all those conspiracy theorists. It is all over the internet.

Anyway. If you want a detailed book like Columbine was by Dave Cullen you will not find it here.
Normally I love to get many details but this time i did not so I am fine but I do understand the people who are not.
Now what the hell do I rate this.

[Kerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why would I read a book on this sad topic? I read it because I work in a public grade school. I read it because my son has Asperger's syndrome. I read it because I wanted to understand something that is not possible to understand.

This is the sort of book you would expect timed to appear at the one year anniversary of a tragic event.

I gave this book a poor review because I felt in navigating the difficult topic of writing about Newtown, the author chose to focus on the last days of the children and their funerals instead of the bright light of the children and their potential. An approach that I admire is a book that followed the shootings in Tucson, A Safeway in Arizona, by Tom Zoellner. Mr. Zoellner writes about a horrific shooting, mental health and the stigma of mental illness and the question of community and gun control. I thought his book was well done.

Remember these children for how they lived not how they died. I felt that the author, Mr. Lysiak showed little talent or humanity by focusing so narrowly in his book.

Regarding Mr. Lysiak's writing about the shooter's diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome. I felt his writing was dangerous and irresponsible. I wonder if Mr. Lysiak is acquainted with anyone with Asperger's syndrome? Mr. Lysiak said the combination of Asperger's with Psychosis had a deadly, evil result. I say that the combination of anything with psychosis can have a deadly, evil result.

Testosterone + Psychosis, Gifted + Psychosis, Young + Psychosis. Are we to be afraid of young men? Bright young men?

I did not like this book and I expect it will be remaindered and forgotten. I do not recommend this book.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

December 14th, 2012 was a day that hit me hard. Since I was a former first-grade teacher, I kept imagining my classroom and thinking, “What would I have done to protect my kids?” That night my husband and I went to see “Les Miserable” at the movies. When the song “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” was sung, I was a wreck.
This author did a great job of helping me as a reader learn what those twenty little ones, and the adults who tried to save them, were like as people before 12/14/12. The way their parents and loved ones remember them every day...

[CiderandRedRot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too soon. I mean, I can talk - it's people like me, with my morbid fascination, who prompted a book like this to be written. And Lysiask has done a fair job of sifting through the reams of newsprint and online speculation and personal recollections to give a decent run down of what happened that awful day, the factors that led up to it and the immediate response (or lack thereof from the gun lobbyists). But it is still too soon for any kind of nuanced examination. It's unfair to compare this slight, knee-jerk reaction to Dave Cullen's masterful Columbine, which unfolds that shockingly tragic school shooting (the genesis of the modern day school shooting?) within a much wider social, psychological and political context, even though the similar cover art seems to beg comparison. We still don't really know why Lanza carried out his horrific act, what bearing his mental illness and his mother's parenting choices might have had on what came next. Maybe we'll never know, but for now his family - and the families of the victims and the people on the ground at Sandy Hook on December 14th - are understandably unwilling to delve too deeply into the events before, during and after. As a result, it's a tragedy with little context; a similar sense of the futility and wanton destruction of it all can be gained by reading the Wikipedia entry and looking newspaper snapshots of the faces of the victims.

[pati · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tragic events of December 14, 2012 are well documented in this book. The perpetrator of the atrocities at Sandy Hook ES is revealed to be a very troubled individual. Some parts of this book are very hard to read; the inhumanity described sent chills through me. Well written book.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this book was put out too quickly and not researched very well. A lot of questions remain for me. This was an awful tragedy and this book left me with the feeling that it was a money grab. Trying to make a quick buck off the lives of innocent children and their educators.

One thing that I will never understand is why Adam Lanza's mother, who was the first person he killed and knew her son was mentally ill would think it was a good idea to fill her house with guns and even take her son to gun ranges as a hobby. Not to mention that in the last months before he killed all these people she would go away on vacations for weeks at a time and leave her unbalanced son alone. She saw his disturbing drawings and even confided in friends that Adam seemed to be getting worse and was a lost cause.

Since she is now dead and so is Adam we are left to wonder just what happened that day to set this tragedy in motion.

We will never know and reading this book just leaves you even more lost. At least it did for me.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've rated this book as a 5 not simply for writing style, but because it sends a powerful message through a terrible tragedy. We all know what happened at Sandy Hook, but do you know the real story? Well this reverent re-telling of the tragedy gets the facts right (as the news media did not on the day) and provides the important details that need to be acted upon. I'm completely against the 2nd amendment and that's my opinion. But I think that's only the first step in preventing this sort of tragedy again. Mental Health is not treated the same as physical health, and that's made clear through the story of Adam Lanza's life. He was a victim as well. There are many more people out there experiencing the same problems. If just one more person is made aware of these issues, then one more 6-year-old is saved from another tragedy. Unfortunate story, but powerfully told.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My book review of Newtown by Matthew Lysiak by Noah Schaffer

Consisting of only 288 pages, Newtown is a short read. Knowing that this book has only been out a year and seeing that of the 74 current ratings on Amazon.com (one source I use to gauge my "Must Read Next pile"), I was a little disappointed by the so-so reviews. I take to heart Amzon.com reviewer "Tet68" comments in his review that Matthew Lysiak seemed to "slap dash compilation of local media reports of the incident into book form and he has not done any real journalistic research and in depth interviews of persons directly involved.” I agree. Most of the book is a rehashing from other news sources without doing any real journalism.

I understand that that he must have had a tough time getting an opportunity to interview the families of those innocent victims who were killed, but other than using a confidential source close to Nancy Lanza, shooter Adam Lanza's mother, I did not get the impression that deep research was done here. Where are the interviews with those who were there, who saw what happened? The book mentions that many people knew of Adam Lanza within the community, but no one KNEW him. How can you present why this happened and how we might prevent another senseless killing without more thoroughly answering those questions? What have we learned as a result of this incident? When I read a book, I want to be engaged and learn something. I wish this were more than a rehashing of what the news media did.

Lysiak does scratch the surface on one key issue in this book, which I praise him for: identifying the decline of adequate mental health care in in our country over the past half a century and the ramifications that result. Another praise I give him is, he briefly plays the “What if” game that may have altered the course of what happened, such as was what if someone intervened in the bullying of Adam Lanza, What if he wasn’t exposed to ultraviolent images and videogames, What if Adam Lanza didn’t have access to the weaponry etc. I wish he led me down more of these avenues he presented. Another praise I give Lysiak is that he delves into the psychological aspects of some disorders, which are backed up by input of experts in those particular fields.

In this book, Matthew Lysiak repeatedly presents his personal belief that gun laws would not have changed what happened that day. However, he does not actually provide any research or justification for this beyond his belief. I just wanted more facts and research. I think this book seemed rushed and had more potential. Another book in my “To be read pile” is Columbine by Dave Cullen, which has a 4.4 average rating of 738 raters on Amazon.com. I own a copy of this book and after leafing though it, I am amazed by the detail and research that Dave Cullen put forth in it.

Overall, this book was worth reading and I recommend it to others.

[Vicki G · Rating 4 out of 5]

And I really discovered I had no ability to tolerate reading of the people who sang the "Don't you feel so sorry for him" blues that they did for Adam Lanza.
I mean, a person goes out and kills 20 children and 6 teachers, and SOME people's reaction is to stand around feeling freakin' SORRY for him. I just think it's too bad those particular people weren't in the school that day where he could have shown you how much he appreciates your sympathy by blowing you to kingdom come with a Bushmaster rifle.

If I'd known a year ago about the fact that she also ignored state laws that were actually in existence when she bought the guns for him - telling outright or flagrant lies about it - I believe I would have completely lost my mind.
I've never understood why it was so difficult for me to lose a friend who was never more than a casual relationship other than the fact that with Lauren, the person I'm referring to, was the kind of person that even if you met her only one time she left a big and wonderful impression on you.
But I can't even imagine how I would have made it through the first year knowing that laws were in existence in Connecticut even back then that Nancy Lanza flagrantly ignored or lied about to purchase guns for her son. And then give them to him in her own name, knowing full well it was an outright crime to do so, which is why she wrote on the form she would "not be transferring the purchases to anybody other than" herself.
Then gave the purchases to him and kept others for herself.

In that case, she might as well be as guilty as HE is and only isn't seen as such b/c she's also dead and people think she was a victim.
What I thought was that she "signed her own death warrant" the day she bought him the guns but I don't think she's a victim anymore.
I think her own arrogance of believing she knew better about him than everyone else got her killed but I don't think she's a victim.

I don't believe what I'm reading about the killer and his mom. I SHOULD believe it - after all, it's only become common behavior these days to "know something's wrong with your child, *really* wrong" and then equip the man with a fully outfitted military ARSENAL. But I don't.
If she knew all these things were seriously wrong with him, the things she told other people, then I'm even more mystified as to why in the hell she bought him guns in the multiple numbers, not to mention completely annoyed at it. She's not even a country rube, as I for some reason thought she must be. She had a 4-year college degree in another field beSIDES just teaching.
She can't claim she lacked brainpower, so why she gave him the guns leaves a great big question in MY mind.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book last night and finished it today. Mr Lysiak does a wonderful job of presenting this American Tragedy in a thoughtful light. It is easy to point fingers at multiple people as you learn about Adam Lanza and his longterm mental health condition. Who was to blame? His mom who tried to get him help while reinforcing his antisocial behavior? We cannot ask her because she was Adam's first victim. Or was it the video game industry who sells violent games to young people, making killing a good thing? Maybe it was the medical community as well as the mental health community who do little to help people with brain issues. Or could it be the weapons industry who make it easy for disturbed individuals to get their hands on weapons? After looking at all these issues, we come to think that maybe it was just pure evil? Evil is something enlightened Americans choose to ignore as a problem in our country. The book explores the perpetrator's life but it focuses more on the real victims of Newtown...the students and teachers who died on that terrible December day.

Mr Lysiak takes us into the homes of the children. We get to know their families and their morning routine. Several stated that December 14th was a beautiful day. Families got up, ate breakfasts, sent their little ones off to school anticipating the Christmas holidays. It was to be a joyful day at Sandy Hook Elementary as the younger grades were to make gingerbread houses with their parents that afternoon. As the story unfolds, it is one that will bring tears to your eyes as you read about brave teachers and students who sheltered together while the gunman raged. Teachers sacrificed their lives to protect the young children. In one class the teacher and the students were all huddled together...dead. We see this community come together to bury their dead and as they try to move on with their lives. One of the saddest things to me was the fact that the school intercom had been left on so all the classes heard what happened that morning. Many of the survivors have suffered with Post Traumatic Stress. The first responders, police and firemen were devastated by what they found in those class rooms. Visions that can never be erased from the mind.

Many questions but no concrete answers are found in the book...Mr Lysiak would not presume to have an answer for this. He relates the story as it was told to him by the people of Newtown, Connecticut. I think we could all benefit from the motto of the slain principal, Dawn Hochsprung who always encouraged her staff and students , "Be nice to each other."

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matthew Lysiak's Newtown is neither as comprehensive nor as revealing as Dave Cullen's book Columbine, a work this book evokes in its subject matter, tone and even its cover art. Cullen's book had the advantage of a decade's distance from the event, which allowed for greater access to motivations and implications than Lysiak was able to have in writing this book a year after the murders. As such, this book suffers in the same areas that made Cullen's book so great. Lysiak is able to tell us little about the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, beyond his obsessions with guns and violent video games, his extreme introversion and his likely autism. It's a lot of detail, but Lanza is never really understandable to the reader like Klebold and Harris were in Cullen's superior book. Similarly, the reader never comes to understand why Lanza's mother, seemingly so involved and concerned with her troubled son's well-being, would continue to illegally furnish him with guns. What we know of Mrs. Lanza is from emails to her friends and their recollections, but there's a sense that there's much more to this story. Mrs. Lanza's other son, for example, would certainly have been more privy to what was going on in the house, yet he is glaringly absent from most of this account.

The book does have its strengths, however. Its descriptions of the lives of the innocent victims, of the act itself and of the aftermath of the massacre are all effective. It's not easy to read. Also, Lysiak does an admirable job of maintaining some journalistic objectivity, never advocating or placing blame on any particular social evil or political hot-button issue. He does spend a lot of time describing the weapons used in the event, but he is also quick to argue that gun control itself may not have made much of a difference here because Lanza's mother was breaking the law anyway in supplying his weapons. Similarly, Lysiak gives equal time to summarizing arguments in favor of and against mental illness as a factor in the killings. It's admirable to be so unbiased, but, at the same time, it's not always so interesting to read something that never really commits or takes a stand. I've always found bias to be an exaggerated problem in writing, and its absence here is not as great as one might think.

[Stephanie McGarrah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew I was going to hate this book from the title alone, but I cracked it open and read the entire thing anyway, in the hopes that the author might have delved a little further into Adam's life. Sadly, it looks like this mass shooting will be forever glossed over. When people ask the inevitable question of "Why?" after these killings, they don't want the difficult, complex answers and so these stories take the familiar forms of access to guns, mental health services and who is to blame. This satisfies politicians of course.

The glaring omission in the book is Adam Lanza's call to prominent Primitivist John Zerzan's show Anarchy Radio. Listening to this call illuminates possible "motives" for the massacre. Adam idolized mass killers yes, but he also was fond of animal revolts, like Travis the chimp and Tyke, a circus elephant famous for a deadly rampage in Hawaii. I believe Adam Lanza wanted to destroy society and its notions of progress and supremacy all grounded in mans belief in its superiority on this earth. In killing as many children as possible, including himself at his own former school, he attacked the future. None of those kids would grow up to be anything, as so many parents mournfully lamented at their funerals.

[Noel نوال · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that—then surely we have an obligation to try.” ~Former President Obama

I remember on December 14, 2012 I woke up to begin my 20th birthday only to read the horrific news that a 20-year-old man went into an elementary school that morning and murdered 26 people; 20 of them children. Every year since then I take time on my birthday to think about, send love to, honor, and pray for the victims and their families whose lives were changed forever that day. It is the most unimaginable crime of horror and inhumanity, and even the thought of that tragedy brings me to tears.
Charlotte Bacon (6), Daniel Barden (7), Olivia Engel (6), Josephine Gay (7), Dylan Hockley (6), Madeleine Hsu (6), Catherine Hubbard (6), Chase Kowalski (7), Jesse Lewis (6), Ana Márquez-Greene (6), James Mattioli (6), Grace McDonnell (7), Emilie Parker (6), Jack Pinto (6), Noah Pozner (6), Caroline Previdi (6), Jessica Rekos (6), Avielle Richman (6), Benjamin Wheeler (6), Allison Wyatt (6),
Rachel D'Avino (29), Dawn Hochsprung (47), Anne Marie Murphy (52), Lauren Rousseau (30), Mary Sherlach (56), Victoria Leigh Soto (27).

I’ve read many emotionally-difficult books about various subjects, but this book by far was really hard to get through at times. Matthew Lysiak did a truly amazing job at this investigative journalist piece presenting all of the information from the history of the town, details about the children’s lives and their days at Sandy Hook elementary school, details about the lives of the teachers, the shooting, the brief biography of the shooter, the aftermath, and everything else that followed the tragedy. This book gutted me. The stories of the children and the terror they faced, and the trauma they continue to endure was unbelievably heartbreaking. I’ve watched numerous interviews by some of the survivors who are now in their mid-teens who’ve discussed their battles with PTSD, and about their fights for stricter gun laws. It is heartbreaking that things have remained very much the same since that traumatizing day for those children, and they continue to have to practice active-shooter drills in their high schools knowing very well it is not an impossibility in America.
Lysiak did a great job to highlight how this tragedy also led the media and society to further stigmatize autism and mental illness; the shooter was diagnosed with both. Though mental illness did play a large part in this tragedy I think the key takeaways to remember are that the shooter showed many signs of psychopathy and obsession with violence and death years before he committed Sandy Hook. This was a preventable tragedy. The guns were bought legally by the shooter’s mom when he was legally underage for firearm possession. His mother took him to the shooting range and encouraged his obsession with war, violence, and guns as the only way she saw she could connect with her son. The shooter was removed from school, not given the treatment he needed for his mental illness (despite the family being perfectly capable of affording it), completely isolated from everyone, and his mother dismissed disturbing behaviors exhibited by her son that only worsened with time. The shooter was a truly evil person who was obsessed with mass shooters and determined to cause death as so much evidence from his online posts have proven, and the ranking list he had of the “top 500 American mass shooters”. A list he was determined to rank highly on with the extremely thought-out plan he was set to enact. Weapons of war being readily available for purchase to civilians did not help this situation at all. Lysiak brought up excellent points throughout the book about the many factors that come into play when we talk about one of the most prevalent forms of terrorism in the United States; mass shootings.
It was heartbreaking to read about the further re-traumatization that many of the parents of both the slain and survived children of Sandy Hook elementary endured during the fight to ban military-grade weapons. It is a clear display of a failure of a country when an entirely preventably massacre of children means nothing to fellow countrymen who refuse to give up the weapons that are their phallic-extensions. The parents weren’t asking for the removal of the second amendment, just for weapons made strictly for warfare with the capability of shooting 150 bullets in 5 minutes to not be accessible to civilians. It was a sad premonition that so many people would say when speaking about gun legislation that it would sadly take the death of children for people to wake up about these mass shootings in America. Yet, when 20 children were killed on December 14, 2012 nothing was done to prevent an act of terrorism like this to happen again. Instead, children are put through active shooter drills, given clear plastic backpacks, school shootings have continued to happen, and the government suggests to place more guns in schools. What will it take for America to wake up and realize that this is madness? When we cannot go to grocery stores, houses of worship, massage parlors, clubs, movie theaters, concerts, Wal-Mart, FedEx shops, or send elementary children to school without worrying that they could be murdered by a man with a weapon of war we know clearly that things are very wrong.
My heart goes out to the families of the victims, the first responders, the Newtown community, and Ryan Lanza who lost his entire family that day due to the actions of his brother.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew this would be a heavy book to read--it was. It was interesting to read about how it all transpired. My heart broke all over again for this community. I can't even imagine enduring a tragedy such as this.

This book gives a more in-depth portrayal of the events that led up to that fateful day. It is a more honest depiction than what the media reported. This book allows you to see things as the community of Newtown saw them. (Though no one will ever feel the true agony of what these people have)

It also gives a lot of background regarding Nancy and Adam Lanza's lives and the relationship they had, as well as the many issues surrounding Adam's mental stability. Regardless of his diagnoses, I believe that there was pure evil in Adam. Nothing else can explain what he did on December 14, 2012.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Newtown and although I have read about this terrible tragedy before I found this writer's story has shone a light on the horrific violence of December 14, 2012 that took the lives of 20 school children and 6 adults. From just a little boy, Adam Lanza had trouble fitting in with the other school children and preferred to be left alone. It became the perfect storm of mental instability and obsession that preceded it and hence to the unspeakable heartbreak that changed everyone's lives in the community. From the police officers to the first responders then the parents and families brought the whole country to it's knees. Shocking details abound as the more information was broad-casted across the nation. This writer takes us quietly through moment by moment in the aftermath and incomprehensible tragedy as it unfolded.

[Jenny N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not heavy on backstory or unnecessary ramblings. It was straightforward. There is an section at the end that talks about mental illness in our country. It is a well-written look at the details of that terrible day.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

NEWTOWN by Matthew Lysiak is a comprehensive study on Sandy Hook mass shooter Adam Lanza and the tragedy he caused.

I’m interested in the psychopathology of young mass shooters and Lysiak provided enough information to satisfy my curiosity. Before reading, I placed a great deal of blame on his mother Nancy. Knowing all that she did to try to help him, both with his schooling and mental health, I no longer blame her. Few people hate guns as much as me, but I understand how she tried to bond with Adam over guns. She had tried to spark his interest for years in anything, to keep the tenuous bond with her autistic son. As a gun owner, she saw firearms as sport, not weapons of death. Again, I wholeheartedly disagree while also understanding that her opinion was just as valid to her as mine is to me.

If the USA congress lacked the will to limit the use of automatic weapons, magazines and ammunition after the massacre of 21 first graders and 5 teachers/school personnel, I doubt we ever will see legislation.

NEWTOWN also honors the victims of the massacre. With twenty-six deaths, detailing each and every one would have difficult, though Lysiak managed to give each victim tribute.

[Nat PlainJanetheBookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a topic that many of us just cannot fathom. And as your reading about the day of this event, you’ll probably be like me a shed tears. It’s a heart-wrenching read.

The author has done a very nice job to stay neutral, relying on the facts and interviews of family and friends of the victims, as well as emergency services personal, and social science professionals. I did have an issue with the amount of focus the author seemed to have put on the use of “violent” video games, when as an academic in psychology myself, I know there’s no creditable link of causality.

Other than that, this was a great read, I almost finished it in 3 hours because I just couldn’t put it down. Have the tissues handy.

RIP to the victims.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that the novel was well written and researched but I didn't necessarily agree with all of the arguments. Newtown was written from an extremely conservative point of view, where the author proposed that there was an inverse correlation between school shootings and the 'gun epidemic' in the United States. He believes that limiting the amount of bullets in a magazine or banning assault rifles is an ineffective way to stop mass shootings. Instead, the author believes that the stigma around mental health as well as limited medical insurance causes the mentally ill to desensitize, and ultimately express their anger in unlawful ways. Though I do agree that mental health rapidly needs to be destigmatized and taken seriously by doctors, gun reform also needs to be set in place. School shootings, like Sandy Hook, are not only caused by a lack of mental health support. Nor are they solely caused by a lack of gun control. I believe that a solution needs to be found to stop a relationship between the two from developing.

[Jennifer Cumming · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterpiece. While the subject matter is obviously heartbreaking, Lysiak tells the story in a thought-provoking, respectful way, free of judgements or his own opinions. This is an unforgettable book, one that will continue to impact me years from now. While difficult to read, I feel honored to have had the opportunity to learn more about this event and the experience of what others went through. I honestly don't know the last time I read a book this important, this well done, and this meaningful.

[Sarah Hamatake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like mostly how this book was written. It didn’t seem to have an agenda and did clarify some difficult incorrect reporting that happened immediately after the Sandy Hook massacre. I hated the “what ifs” in there afterward. That took it down a star for me.

[cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a great book but it is an important one. Horrific but informative. Short. I was left thinking and that’s a good thing. I found the book, Columbine, better written.
What was most alarming was the number of years, since very early childhood, that the assassin was known to be severely troubled, anti social, uncommunicative, isolated, friendless with a bad temper. Why his Mother, who had fought long and hard for help, was thinking when allowing him weapons to share her hobby, is beyond understanding.

[☆∞Love Frances∞☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose there is no one book, not one person out there who could answer the ONE question EVERYONE has been asking since that day: “WHY?” Books, magazines, newspapers, media outlets, all kinds of professionals, even a few psychic type’s have been trying to answer it, but to no avail.

I’ll talk about the book from a “reviewers” standpoint: It was obviously well written, thoroughly researched, and spoke facts-not speculation. The author, Matthew Lysiak carefully picked every word so as not to upset the fragile foundation Newtown and it’s occupants have been rebuilding.

The subject matter is very matter of factual and clinical. It describes an obviously sick, but brilliant young man, and his over doting, but in over her head mother. The insight into Adam Lanza’s life offers no answers. We get the picture of a young man who was (either) too mentally ill to live outside of an institution, (or) never got the proper help he needed, and was over indulged by his well-meaning mother, who was as much a victim to Adams mental illness as he was. Nancy indulged her unstable sons every violent whim by supplying him with guns, live ammunition, and violent video games he was shockingly masterful in. He was well-known and revered in the online gaming, and gun owning world. Nancy has rarely been included in the list of Sandy Hooks victims. When she has been it’s met with disdain and fury. Valid or not, she has been held (partially) responsible for the murders of 26 people.

The author focus’ a little too much on the deaths of the 26 victims and not their lives. I’d rather see their short lives celebrated, than hear more gruesome details of their last day on this earth. That said, the acts and words of heroism, and bravery, these little children showed their last minutes on earth brought me to tears. One of the young survivors told his teacher that he would “protect them all” because “he knew karate”. Eye witness accounts are bittersweet. I felt my heart flow with pride and sadness upon learning how some of the deceased fought bravely to keep their little friends safe and calm.

This book was emotional to say the least. I truly believe it does not answer the “why” question, I honestly do not believe this book will prevent another tragedy. I HOPE it will answer some questions, offer some insight, and hopefully HELP a parent/caretaker with a child like Adam Lanza was.

Christmas Day 2012 in Sandy Hook was overwhelming and awe-inspiring and so emotional I still can’t put what I saw or how I felt into words. Watching my hubby, who grew up there, silently take in the madhouse that was once his tiny, beloved, home, broke my heart. We went to his now empty childhood home and reflected. What was an overwhelming and sad day for all had a few rays of sunshine around it. They will never, ever, fully heal or forget. As time passes, hopefully they can..move on and rebuild..Never forget, but live enough life to make up for those lost so tragically that cool, sunny, day.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book against my better judgment. I was close to the event. I knew one of the kids. Reading her name repeatedly in this book made me cry, and hearing Lysiak's depiction of the funeral I attended was difficult.

Overall, as a writer, he didn't do a bad job. It was an adequate book. It is short, I read it all the same day I got it. He does an interesting job looking into the lives of the Lanzas. Adam's mental health issues are tackled (as is to be expected) and Nancy's attempts at coping with her son's shortcomings. It addresses several possibilities and sides of the issues.

Now, I don't know what I was exactly hoping to get out of this book, but I didn't get it. Like so many others, I was likely searching for some sort of reason why or closure even though this book was sure to give none. I was far from impressed, but it lived up to expectations. Don't expect to learn everything you need to know from this book though. It should be taken with a grain of salt.

Some interviews with family members were new to the story, but much of the children's biographies and descriptions were what was available to the press for privacy reasons. It gives some views on Asperger's and the autism spectrum as well as a somewhat detailed view of Lanza's upbringing through the eyes of other people, but it's important to remember all stories have a bias.

If you look at Nancy Lanza as just a mother who was out of her wits with a child she couldn't control, and how she gave basically her entire life to care for him, and take away the horrific act he perpetrated, we would feel nothing but pity and sympathy for her. I think that should be noted.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had wanted some more background on the offender (I won't say his name b/c that's what he wanted) and his mother. I was glad to learn more about the history behind his condition and the things his mom had tried to do to help him. I definitely think she should have had him committed to an institution. Can't understand why she didn't pursue that route, especially when I learned that she was pretty well off and could have afforded it.

I also learned that the secretary of the school accidentally tripped the intercom when she called 911 so everyone could hear what was happening in the lobby and had a little time to prepare. The one room where the interim teacher had not been given a key so she was unable to lock her classroom door was tragic to me. Being able to lock her door might have saved them.

This is a quick read; I read it in a few hours. The author explores not only gun control but also mental illness, autism, sensory disorder, psychopathy, and the educational system. In the end, choices are explored. What if the mom had kept him in high school, what if people had reached out to them, what if a doctor had prescribed something that worked, what if (and this is mine) the FATHER had been more involved. We will never know the breakdown or how he could have been saved.

My biggest beef was WHY ALL THE GUNS IN THE HOUSE WHEN YOU KNOW YOUR SON IS DEEPLY DISTURBED???? I am all for guns in homes and I do not support gun control laws, but that mom was CRAZY to have not seen that one coming.

[Mark Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the main issue with this book is that it's come too soon. The author clearly wanted to be the first to cover the 'biggest' (in terms of public outrage) school massacre, which has caused one of the biggest flaws - there just is not enough information around yet.

Look back to one of the first high school shootings - Columbine, which happened more than 10 years ago now and information is still filtering out and views/details are still changing (in fact one of the biggest sources of information for that case. the basement files is still many years away from release).

I think the author has done the best he can with just one year off time passed, bit it still feels very much like its a collection of stories that are already available (and not necessarily true) via many other sources.

This book has inadvertently opened up one other element to this story (although not covered in this book), that being that there is a growing discussion from many different corners that the whole shooting may be one big hoax. I am not going to comment on that though as I have not looked into it in any detail yet.

My biggest gripe though was when the author briefly covered some of the other school massacres, specifically Columbine where he states that the reason that event took place was because Eric & Dylan had there computer game access revoked by their parents - FALSE!!!

Overall I think the author is trying to re-create Dave Cullen's book on Columbine, but he falls very short of the mark. This book is worth a read but don't expect anything ground breaking.